Machine for forming blanks of cardboard and the like



Sept. 25, 1956 J. w. FAY ET AL MACHINE FOR FORMING BLANKS OF CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 13, 1954 Joe/QM; BY

Sept. 25. 1956 J. w. FAY ET AL MACHINE FOR FORMING BLANKS OF CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE 4 sneaks-sheet :2

Filed April 13, 1954 NNN b D W @2 J zzyi ymks.

Sept, 25, 1956 J. w. FAY EITAL 2,754,070

MACHINE FOR FORMING BLANKS OF CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE- Filed A fil 15. 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet a IN V EN TORS.

N MM W NwN w 6Q Q D i 0 DD DD D6 96 6 0 @@9@ 9a 9 D10 03 D D Sept. 25. 1956 J. w. FAY ETAL MACHINE FOR FORMING BLANKS OF CARDBOARD AND THE LIKE- 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 15. 1954 INVENTORS, ZMF

y I I l W W @v "United States Patent fiice 2,754,070 Patented Sept. 25, 1955 MACHINE FOR FQRMIN G BLANKS OF CARD- BGARD AND THE LIKE Joseph W. Fay and Rudolph .l. Fay, Villa signors to Schulze and Burch Biscuit Park, 11]., as- Co., Chicago,

This invention relates to machines and methods for forming articles of cardboard and similar materials from perforated and scored blanks, and more specifically to a machine and method for forming partitioned trays from appropriately perforated and scored blanks.

It is common practice in a number of packaging applications, and most particularly in the packaging of bakery goods such as cookies, to separate individual items in the package by partitions of cardboard or similar material, the partitions and the cookies or other goods being enclosed in a wrapper, which is frequently of transparent material. In one frequently used type of structure, the partitions are all formed from a single integral blank, the longitudinal and transverse partitions being bent substantially perpendicular with the body of the blank, and being inter-engaged to lock the structure into the form of a unitary partitioned tray. In forming one type of such tray from a perforated and scored blank, the longitudinal partitions are formed by bending longitudinal portions of the blank away from the blank along lines scored for this purpose, and the transverse partitions are also formed by bending them from the body of the blank, suitable interlocking means being provided, such as slots in the transverse partitions cooperating with protrusions on the longitudinal partitions. One type of such partitioned tray is described hereinafter in greater detail in connection with an illustrated embodiment of the present invention, which lies in a machine and method for performing the various operations required in the forming of partitioned trays and similar articles from fiat blanks.

There are, of course, a large variety of machines available for the folding and forming of cardboard blanks, particularly in the making of boxes and other packaging assemblies. In some cases these machines may, by slight modification, be made to form blanks similar to those with which the present invention is concerned. However, it is found that those of the machines heretofore available which can be modified or combined for the present purposes are relatively expensive, slow, and difficult to adjust, while the inexpensive, speedy, and rugged machines heretofore devised for the forming of articles from flat blanks are not suitable for forming partitioned trays of the type described above.

It is accordingly the principal object of the present invention to provide a machine which is relatively inexpensive and simple to construct and operate, while at the same time being capable of fast and efficient production of finished assemblies of partitioned trays of the abovediscussed type.

It is well known that in machines for the forming of cardboard blanks, as in machines for many other purposes, the employment of rotating, rather than reciprocating, implements for forming and otherwise working upon the Work-pieces greatly increases the speeds at which the work-pieces may be processed, thus greatly increasing the production rate of any given number of machines and reducing both the capital investment and the expense of producing the finally formed product. It is accordingly a subsidiary object of the invention to provide a machine of suitably low cost employing, to the maximum extent possible, unidirectionally rotating, rather than reciprocating, moving parts; the machine nevertheless being able to perform in an efficient manner required for above.

In another aspect, it is the object of the invention to provide an automatic machine for performing the various folding operations required with a minimum number of parts, each part being of minimum intricacy and maxi-. mum simplicity.

in achieving the above objects, there has been devised a new method of forming the blanks, the method being particularly well adapted for automatic machinery, but also being suitable for manual forming of blanks with conventional tools or machines.

The objects briefly stated above are of course merely an expression of the motivation and background of the invention, and do not constitute a complete statement of all of the advantages which flow from the invention. For a complete understanding of the invention, and of the advantages which flow therefrom, reference is made to the embodiments of the invention which have been selected for illustration in the appended drawing, and which are described below, in accordance with the patent statutes.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a machine for forming blanks from cardboard and like materials, made in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view in elevation of a portion of the machine illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary transverse, vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2 in the direction indicated by arrows;

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical sectional View taken along the line 55 of Figure 2 in the direction indicated by arrows;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Figure 1 illustrating a portion of the feed mechanism constituting a part of the machine;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view corresponding to a portion of Figure 4, but illustrating the parts in a different portion of the cycle of operation of the machine;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7, but illustrating a modification of the machine shown in Figures 1 through 7;

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of a partitioned tray produced by the machine of the invention;

Figure 10 is a plan view of a fiat cardboard blank from which the machine operates to form the device of Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary portion of Figure 3, with a blank shown in section to clarify a portion of the operations performed thereon.

Referring first to Figure 1, it will be seen that the machine is mounted on a frame or support comprising a top frame 10 supported by front, center, and rear legs 12, 14 and 16, respectively. The frame is completed by a tray or shelf 18 at the bottom, upon which are supported a motor 20 coupled by gears 22 to a gear-reduction box 24, and a motor-driven vacuum compressor 26 connected to a vacuum tank 28 by a tube 30. To the top frame llti is secured a table plate 31.

Journaled in pillow blocks 32 atfixed to the under edge of the top frame 10 are shafts 34 and 36 at opposite ends of the machine, upon which are mounted front sprocket wheels 38 and rear sprocket wheels 40 which constitute the operations the forming of blanks of the type discussed the support and drive for two laterally spaced sprocket conveyor chains 42 and 44. Sagging of the conveyor chains 42 and 44 along their working (upper) path is prevented by longitudinal support bars 46. Secured at equal intervals on the chains 42 and 44 and extending therefrom are lugs or stops 48, the intervals between lugs or stops 48 being selected to correspond exactly with the length of a flat blank which the machine is designed to form, so that the lugs 48 on the two chains confine the work-piece against forward or rearward longitudinal motion with respect to the chains.

The chains 42 and 44 serve as a conveyor transporting the work-pieces through the assemblies for performing the various required operations thereon. For convenience and simplicity in understanding the functioning of the machine, and the nature and advantages of the invention, the portions of the machine not heretofore described will be divided into assemblies designated respectively: The Feed Assembly, The Breaking Assembly, The Rail-Forming Assembly, and The Partition-Forming Assembly; and the overall synchronization of the various assemblies and their joint mode of operation as a unitary device will thereupon be readily understood.

The feed assembly Mounted atop the table plate 31 on the forward portion of the machine is a magazine generally designated by the numeral 50, which comprises four corner angles 52 defining a rectangular chute in which is deposited a stack 54 of work-pieces (flat cardboard blanks, appropriately perforated and scored), the stack being slightly tilted toward the rear by reason of the fact that the forward edge of the stack is supported at the corners by screw pins 56. Be neath the magazine is a vacuum cup assembly generally designated 58 and including vacuum cups 60, supported on a lever arm 62, which is pivoted on the frame at 64 and is cycled by a cam 66, being biased by a conventional tension spring. Rotatable with the cam 66 is an additional cam 68 actuating the trip lever 70 of a three-way valve 72. The valve 72 connects the vacuum cups to a conduit 74 leading to the tank 28 when the trip lever is actuated, but otherwise connects the vacuum cups 60 to the atmosphere, the connection from the valve 72 to the vacuum cups 60 being effected by a flexible tube 76.

The cams 66 and 68 are mounted on, and driven by, a shaft 78, which is driven by a sprocket wheel 79 and sprocket chain 80 from the shaft 36, which serves as the jackshaft or main shaft driving and synchronizing the various parts of the machine. The chain 80 drives the cams 66 and 68 at the same rotational speed as the sprocket wheel 40. The spacing between stops 48 is equal to one-half the circumference of the sprocket wheel 40, so that the cams 66 and 68 go through one cycle for each two stops 48 passing beneath the magazine 50. The phasing of the earns 66 and 68 with respect to each other and to the chains 42 and 44 is such that the cycle of motion of the lever arm 62 and actuation of the valve 72 acts toraise the cups 60 against the bottom-most blank in the stack 54 and with? draw it by means of the vacuum, which is sufficient to slightly bend the corners of the blank sulficiently so that the blank is drawn past the screw pins 56. The vacuum is released as the blank is deposited on the table 31 between adjacent stops 48, which protrude through a longitudinal slot 73 in the table. Thus each alternate pair of stops 48 pushes along the table 31 a single blank to be formed by the following assemblies. It will be noted that the stops 48 have rounded ends to permit them to slide under the rearward portions of the stack of blanks in the magazine 50. The rearward portion of the slot 73 is divided into two slots 82 and 84; the portion 85 of the table plate 31 between the slots 82 and 84 being supported by straps 86 suspended from the underside of the table 31 by posts 88; the straps 86 also serve to support the support bars 46 which guide the chains. As the blanks pass from beneath the magazine 50, they do not slide directly on the table 31, but are slightly elevated (Figure 6) with respect to the table 31 by flat plates 89 extending longitudinally at the sides so as to support only the outer edges of the blanks.

The breaking assembly In order to facilitate understanding of the operation of the forming apparatus to be described, it is desirable to first describe a type of blank which the machine is suited to form. Referring to Figure 10, it will be seen that the blank is a generally rectangular sheet of cardboard or similar material perforated and scored as follows: The lateral edges of the blank constitute rail portions 90 and 92 formed by U-shaped perforations 94 and 96, the inner ends of the legs or support portions of which are connected by scoring 98 to the front and rear edges of the blank. It will be seen that the rail portions 90 and 92 may be bent away from the body 100 of the blank, and constitute, when perpendicular to the body 100, spaced rail portions extending longitudinally of the body portion and parallel therewith, having support portions perpendicular to the body 100. Inwardly of the rail portions 90 and 92 are transverse partition portions 102 and 104. The partition portions 102 and 104 are formed by through perforations on three sides, the fourth side constituting transverse scoring at 107 and 109. It will be understood that the term perforated as herein used refers to the fact that the perforation or cutting is sufficiently complete so that a break may easily be made along the line thereof, while the term scored indicates that the body of the blank is indented or otherwise treated to define a line along which a fold or bend may easily be made, without separation or breaking along such line. The partition portions 102 and 104 are slitted at 108, the slits 108 being in alignment with the scoring 98. Thus when the partitions 102 and 104 are erected to the perpendicular position after the rail portions 90 and 92 have so been erected, the rail portions 90 and 92 are engaged in the slits 108 to interlock the entire assembly and form a partitioned tray as shown in Figure 9.

The blanks are fed from the magazine 50 in such orientation that the leading edge of each of the partitions 102 and 104 is the edge 107 or 109 which is scored for folding or bending, rather than the edge which is perforated for breaking. Thus both of the partition portions 102 and 104 may be described as trailing partitions, since they proceed through the machine led by the edge which remains connected to the body of the blank.

A short distance rearward of the magazine 50 the blanks pass beneath a hold-down strip 110 which commences at the rear of the magazine 50 and extends toward the rear of the machine, all but the forwardmost portion being closely above the portion 85 of the table plate 31 between the slots 82 and 84. The hold-down plate 110 is supported in this position at the forward end of the machine by side posts 112 and near the rearward end by a strap 114 supported by posts 116, a bolt 118 connecting the strap 114 and the hold-down plate or strip 110. Just beyond the ends of the longitudinal plates or bars 89, which support the edges of the blanks as they pass from under the magazine 50, as described above, are a pair of rollers or wheels 120 idling on a shaft 122 supported above the table plate by posts 124. The rollers 120 are so placed as to hold down the body of the blank 100 just inward of the longitudinal partition portions 90 and 92 (Figure 11). The diameters of the hold-down wheels or rollers 120 are such as to hold the body 100 of the blank substantially flush against the table plate 31. Extending rearwardly from points spaced laterally outwardly from the rollers 120 are inclined or tapered rails or tracks 126 onto which the leading edges of the rail portions 90 and 92 of the blank slide as the blank passes beneath the rollers 120. The rails 126 are mounted on long bars 128 which rest on the table plate 31 and are undercut at 130. As each blank passes under the rollers 120, therefore, the

ariegodo lateral edges ofthe' body portion (inward o'f-the rail'portions 90 and '92) 'are'engaged =under theundercutportions of the bars 128While the rail portions 90 arid 92 of theblank slide along the tapered rails 126, which thus bend and break the rail portions '90 and 92 away from the body'ltltl and commence to erect the railportions'90 and92, the line of bending away of these rail portions being defined by the cooperation of the hold-down plate 110 and the scoring 98. Thus'at thebreaking assembly, therail portions are broken awayfrom the body of the blank in an upward direction, and the erection of the rail portions iscommenced.

The rail-forming assembly The rearward portions of the rails 126, in addition to being upwardly inclined or'tapered to gradually increasing.height,are formed to converge at '131, 'the rearmost portions 132 of the rails 126again being parallel, the spacing between them correspondingsubstantially to'the spacing between the perforations98 on the blank so-that in this rearmost or final portion of the rails 126, therail portions '92 and 90 are held substantially perpendicular to the body 100 of the blank, whichis restrainedby'the hold-down plate 110, the lateral edges of the bodyportion of the blank still being beneath the undercut 130 in eachof the side bars 128. A guide wheel 133 on the bolt 118 aids in maintaining the rail portions perpendicular'to the body portion ofthe blank. Itwill "thus be seen thatthe breaking away of the rail portions 90 and 92 in the breaking assembly by the breaking wheels or rollers 120 and the rails 126, which serve as fulcrum members, is followed inthe rail-forming assembly by the ewetion of the rail portions to positions perpendicularto the body, in which condition the partially formed blank enters the partition-forming assembly now to be described.

The partition-forming assembly Immediately rearward of the rail-forming assembly described above is the partition-forming assembly, which generally comprises an upper paddle'wheel 134 and a lowerpaddle wheel136, the lower paddlewheelbeing constructed and arranged tobreak the partitionportions 102 and 104 of the blank loose from the body-portion 100 and bend them partly upward, and the upper paddle wheel 134 being constructed and arranged to erect the partition portions 102 and 104 to a position perpendicular to the body portion Tilt) and engage them with the rail portions 90 and 92. The lower paddle wheel 136 consists generally of a hub 138 upon which is mounted a pair of angularly related radial paddles 140 and.142. The hub 138 is aflixed to a shaft 144 whichis journaled in pillow blocks 146 aflixed to the underside of the table platefll and is driven by a sprocket wheel 148 which is coupled to a sprocket chain 159 to the jackshaft or main shaft 36. The relative sizes of the sprocket wheel 148 and the corresponding sprocket wheel on the shaft 36 are such that the lowerpaddle wheel rotates twice for each-full rotation of the shaft 36, or, in other words,.the lower paddle wheel 136 goes through one cycle of rotation each time it is passed by one pair of stops 48.

The upper paddle wheel 134 has a pair of radial paddles 154 and 156 in essentially the same angular relation on thehub 152 of the upper paddle wheel .134 as the angular relation of the paddles 140 and 142 of the lower paddle wheel 1 36. In addition, between the paddles .154 and 156;the paddle wheel 134has a radially protruding holddown protrusion or shoel'58 ofan overall radius such that itpasses almost, but not quite, tangent to the'table plate 31, thus'being radially shorter than the paddles 152 and 154. The paddle wheel 1134 i mounted on a shaft 160 journaled in pillow blocks 162 above thetable p1ate31 and .is'geared at164 to a shaft 166-which is drivenbya sprocket wheel llfis'and sprocket chain 170, the latter beingdriven by the jackshaft 36 todrivethe 'shaft16'6 at a onertol-one ratio, .thewgearing 164 :stepping up the speed ofthe 'shaft"16tl to two-to-one, so that'the upper paddle wheel and thelowertpaddle wheel rotate -at--the same speed.

Thephasing of the paddles on the respectivepaddle wheels (i. 'e., the sequence in whichthe paddles pass through the region between the "rotating shafts to operate "on the work-piece) is such that each partition 102-and 104 is struck firstfrorn beneath by a paddle on thelower wheel to -break the partition away from the body of the blank and then is engaged at the edge "by &f paddle of the upper paddle wheel to-complete the perpendicular bending of the partition with respect-"tothe bodyof the blank. Thus the partition'104 is struck from beneath'bythe paddle (Figure 4) and, while lStill held partially erected by the paddle 140, is struck at the trailing edge by the-paddle 154, which completes the perpendicular bending of the partition 104 and interengages the slits 108 ofthe partition 104 with the rail portions-'90 and 92. The forming of the partition 102 (Figure 7) is carried out in rsimilarfashion.

The upper paddle wheel 134 is circumterentially groovedat 172, the "grooves 172 serving topass the upstanding rail portions 96 and 92, andalso to hold them in proper position asthepartition portions 102 and 104 arebent upward, and additionally to hold down "the blank against the upward force of the paddles on the lower paddle wheel 136 toperrnit proper upward :bending'of the respective partitions by the paddles on the lower wheels. As seen in Figure '7, this holding-down actionis 'also aided by the hold do wn shoe 158 as the partition'102is bent upward' by the paddle 142 prior to completion of the perpendicular bend by the upper paddle .1'56.

'Itwill be noted that completion o'fjthe upward bend by the paddles 154"and 156t=o=f the upper paddle wheel 134 requires that the peripheral speed of the ends of .the paddles 154 and 156 must be greater than the linear speed of the conveyor chains, in order that the foldingor bending maybe completed by striking of the trailing edge of each partition. On the other. hand, the paddles 154 and 156, respectively, must, afterthe partitions areperpendicul ar, be retarded in the direction of motion of the conveyor chain, otherwise the assembly being formed will be damaged or destroyed. The relation between the constant rotational motion of the paddlesand the linear motion of the conveyor produces the desired speed relation. The overall length or radius of rotationof the upper paddles, when combined with the gear ratio "between the conveyor chain and the shaft on which the upper paddles are mounted, produces alinear speed at the outerends of thepaddles 154 and 156 which is greater than the speed of motion of the conveyor chains. The critical factor in obtaining proper bending or folding action without damage to "the work-pieces is the component of the speed of the outer ends of the paddles along the direction o f' m-otion of the conveyor. The relative motion of the end of the paddle with respect to the.conveyor and the work-pieces varies sinusoidally as the paddle goes through its rotational path, the speed of the paddle in the-direction of motion of the conveyor being at its maximum when the paddle is perpendicular to the conveyor and-"thereafter diminishing to zero as the paddle rotates ninety degreesto the point where it isparallel with the conveyor. This fact is utilized. in the illustrated machine to make the uniformly rotating upperpaddles complete the perpendicular bending of the partitions without breaking or damaging the blanks orthe forms made from the blanks. Pressure will continue tobe exerted by the upper paddle on the partition until the component of the speed of the end.of the paddle in the direction of motion of the conveyor is .less than the speed of the conveyor itself. Thus there is no hazard of breaking or damaging the workpieces if the phasing'of thepaddle rotation with respect to the stops 48 is such that the earlier portion of the contact of the paddlewiththe partition is made with the maximum speed of the paddle with respect to the conveyor; as the paddle sweeps through the point where its path is closest to the conveyor, its speed with respect to the conveyor is maximum, and the bending action on the partition is greatest. Thereafter, the component of motion of the end of the paddle in the direction of the conveyor diminishes and ultimately, when the bend is completed, the paddle commences to lag behind the conveyor. Alternatively, it would of course be possible to so design the device that the paddle clears the upper end of the partition just as the bend is completed, with the paddle still traveling as fast in the direction of the conveyor as the conveyor itself, but such operation requires more exact adjustment and synchronization of the parts. In either event, the relative slowing of the paddle end with respect to the workpiece as the paddle passes through the point of being perpendicular to the conveyor is of great assistance in diminishing the precision of adjustment required in order to accomplish proper bending or folding action without damaging the work-piece, particularly where the upwardly bent partition is locked into place upon completion of the bend, as in the present embodiment of the invention.

It will be seen that the method of completing the forming of the partition described above is not necessarilyrestricted to automatic forming machinery, but may readily be adapted to manual forming of blanks with conventional tools and equipment.

Thus the completed blank leaves the partitiondo'rming assembly in its ultimate form as a partitioned tray as shown in perspective in Figure 9, the tray having six mutually partitioned receptacles, the enclosure of the outer orperipheral receptacles being completed by the subsequent insertion of the tray into a bag or box into which it is inserted after filling.

In Figure 8-is shown an alternative construction of the partition-forming assembly in which the lower paddle wheel, designated 136a, rather than being directly opposite the upper paddle wheel 134a, is located slightly forward of the upper paddle wheel, thus reducing the region of overlap of the strokes of the paddles of the respective paddle Wheels, and making even less critical the phasing of the paddle wheels, and thus reducing the accuracy of synchronization required to prevent the paddles ot the respective wheels colliding and damaging the machine. Other modifications and alterations of the embodiment of the invention illustrated will be apparent. For example, it will be seen that by suitable modification the direction of the lower paddle wheel may be reversed so that both wheels are rotating in the same direction, since proper operation of the device restricts only the direction of rotation of the upper paddle, it being a suitable mode of operation to break the partitions away from the body of the blank by rotation of the lower paddle in the direction opposite to that shown, with suitable modification of the paddle length to prevent collision of the paddles.

In addition to such'relatively small modifications of the illustrated embodiment as those discussed above, it will be seen that the teachings of the invention may be employed in the construction of machines far different both in appearance and in detailed nature of the operations performed by the machine, and for the formation of blanks which differ from the blanks for use with which the illustrated embodiment is designed. Since the teachings of the invention may be applied in manners greatly different from the exact manner shown in the embodiment illustrated, the scope of the protection afforded the invention should not be in any way limited by the particular embodiment shown, but should be determined only from the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine -for forming, from flat blanks, partitioned trays of the type comprising a body portion, spaced rail portions extending longitudinally of the body portion and parallel therewith, said rail portions having support portions perpendicular to the body portion, and transverse portions perpendicular to the body portion and interlocked with the rail portions, said machine comprising, in combination, a pair of elongated laterally spaced conveyor chains having means for maintaining the position of successive blanks thereon, means for loading single successive blanks onto the conveyor chains, a breaking assembly spaced from the loading means along the path of the conveyor chains comprising a pair of oppositely disposed breaking wheels adapted to press on the central portion of the blanks and a pair of fulcrum members laterally spaced from the wheels and adapted to support the rail portion edges of the blanks, a rail-forming assembly comprising tapered converging members on each side of the conveyor chain adapted to engage the edges of each blank bent upward by the breaking assembly and a hold-down plate centrally disposed between the converging members and adapted to hold the body portion of each blank flat, whereby the rail portions are erected to positions perpendicular to the body, and a partitionforming assembly adjacent the rail-forming assembly comprising upper and lower paddle wheels beneath and above the plane of the conveyors, the upper paddle wheel being circumferentially grooved to support and guide the rail portions in the perpendicular position and to hold down the blank, the lower paddle wheel being constructed and arranged to break the partition portions of the blank loose from the body portion and bend them partly upward, and the upper paddle Wheel being constructed and arranged to erect the partition portions to a position perpendicular to the body portion and engage them with the rail portions.

2. A machine for forming, from flat blanks, partitioned trays of the type comprising a body portion spaced rail portions extending longitudinally of the body portion and parallel therewith, said rail portions having support portions perpendicular to the body portion, and transverse portions perpendicular to the body portion and interlocked with the rail portions, said machine comprising, in combination, an elongated conveyor having means for maintaining the position of successive blanks thereon, means for loading successive blanks onto the conveyor, a breaking assembly spaced from the loading means along the path of the conveyor comprising a breaking member adapted to press on the blanks and a fulcrum member laterally spaced from the breaking member and adapted to support the edges of the blanks, a rail-forming assembly comprising tapered converging members on each side of the conveyor adapted to engage the edges of each blank and a hold-down member centrally disposed between the converging members and adapted to hold the central portion of each blank flat, whereby the rail portions are erected to positions perpendicular to the body, and a partition-forming assembly adjacent to the rail: forming assembly comprising a first member at one side of the conveyor adapted to partially bend a trailing partition portion of a blank on the conveyor away from the body of such blank, a second member at the other side of the conveyor adapted to engage the edge of such partially bent portion, means to drive the first member, and means to drive the second member in the same direction as the conveyor at a speed faster than the conveyor to complete the bend.

3. In a machine for forming partitioned trays having longitudinal rail portions and transverse partition portions from flat perforated blanks, a conveyor having positioning members adapted to position blanks thereon, means along the conveyor for bending the rail portions upward perpendicular to the body of each blank, and means along the conveyor for thereafter bending the partition portions upward perpendicular to the body to interlock with the rail portions, said latter means comprising a rotatable paddle beneath the conveyor adapted to strike a partition portion to partially bend it upward, and a rotatable paddle above the conveyor adapted to strike the under edge of a partition so partially bent to complete the perpendicular bending, the rotations of said paddles and the progression of the conveyor positioning members being in such phase relation that the upper paddle strikes each partition after it has been partially bent upward by the lower paddle.

4. In a machine for forming partitioned trays from flat blanks having longitudinal rail portions and transverse partition portions, a conveyor having positioning members adapted to position blanks thereon, means along the con veyor for bending the rail portions upward perpendicular to the body of each blank, and means along the conveyor for thereafter bending the partition portions upward perpendicular to the body to interlock with the rail portions, said latter means comprising a first member at one side of the conveyor adapted to partially bend a trailing partition portion of a blank on the conveyor away from the body of such blank, a second member at the other side of the conveyor adapted to engage the edge of such partially bent portion, means to drive the first member, and means to drive the second member in the same direction as the conveyor at a speed faster than the conveyor to complete the bend.

5. In a machine for forming partitioned trays having longitudinal rail portions and transverse partition portions from flat blanks, a conveyor, means along the conveyor for bending the rail portions upward perpendicular to the body, and means along the conveyor for thereafter bending the partition portions upward perpendicular to the body to interlock with the rail portions, said latter means comprising paddle wheels above and beneath the conveyor having paddles adapted to successively engage the partition portions to bend them perpendicularly upward to interlock with the rail portions, the upper of said paddle wheels being circumferentially grooved to support and guide the rail portions in the perpendicular position while the partition portions are so bent and interlocked therewith.

6. A machine for folding cartons frorn flat blanks having foldable portions to form side rails and transverse partitions, comprising in combination: conveyor means; set-up means positioned along said conveyor means to set up said side rails; and means positioned further along said conveyor means to set-up said transverse partitions into intermeshing engagement with said side rails, said last mentioned means including a guide constraining portion aligned along said conveyor and serving to receive, guide and support the side rails of each blank in set-up position, whereby the side rails are prevented from collapsing while the transverse partitions are set up and intermeshed therewith.

7. A machine for forming partitioned trays, having a pair of longitudinal partitions and at least one transverse partition, from flat pre-scored blanks, comprising in combination: conveyor means; set-up means positioned along said conveyor means to set-up said longitudinal partitions; a pair of cooperating paddle wheels, one on each side of the conveyor means, and having paddles adapted to engage and set up transverse partitions; and means on one of said paddle wheels so positioned in relation to said conveyor means as to receive, guide and support the longitudinal partitions in set-up position, whereby the longitudinal partitions are prevented from collapsing while a transverse partition is set up and intermeshed therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,108,334 Hayes Feb. 15, 1938 2,112,121 Sidebotham Mar. 22, 1938 2,149,111 Bergstein Feb. 28, 1939 2,291,063 Staude et al. July 28, 1942 2,462,513 Kucklinsky Feb. 22, 1949 2,720,143 Inman Oct. 11, 1955 

